November 2023

AGP Webinar - Berlin Airlift 75th Anniversary

Join us for a presentation by Don Smith, recognizing the 75th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift: 

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Zoom Webinar

The airlift started in June of 1948 and ended in May of 1949. Much has been written and said about the American efforts in the Berlin Airlift. Don Smith, author of Steinstuecken: A Little Pocket of Freedom will talk about the German (and especially West Berlin) contribution to the Western Allies' efforts to break the Berlin Blockade. 

Last AGP Stammtisch of the Year!

Come join us for the last AGP "Stammtisch" this year:

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

NEW LOCATION:

Ghost Train Brewing Company, Birmingham

Come out to network! This is a great opportunity for German expats to meet and for other German speaking/practicing to improve your German. Speaking German is encouraged but not required. We meet every month (every other month will be in Birmingham).

AGP German Holiday Goose Dinner

Join us:

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

Grand Bohemian Hotel 

Mountain Brook/Birmingham

Per tradition we have partnered up again this year with the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook (Birmingham) to create a German Holiday Dinner. The Chef prepares a traditional Goose Feast for you. We invite you to relish in a delectable three-course menu perfectly accompanied with beer and wine.

We have limited seating available and we expect to sellout.

Dankeschön to our PATRON Members:

SAVE THE DATE for AGP 26th Annual Celebration Dinner 2024

Please SAVE THE DATE:

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Club

Birmingham

We are excited to announce the date for our AGP 26th Annual Celebration Dinner in Birmingham next year. Please make sure to save the date so you don't miss out on our biggest event of the year. Sponsorship and Registration will be available soon.



AGP Webinar January 2024 - Alabama Workforce

Join us for a discussion of the state’s key challenges and opportunities in the workforce arena: 



Wednesday, January 10, 2024

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Zoom Webinar

We will discuss some of Alabama’s nationally acclaimed solutions including Governor Ivey’s Success+ Plan, expanding apprenticeships and work-based learning, and the newly launched Talent Triad. We will also cover the states workforce figures and what they mean including the labor force participation rate. 

Our presenter Josh Laney, first director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship (AOA). In this role, Mr. Laney partners with industries and education providers across Alabama to develop and expand registered apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning for youth and adults. Mr. Laney also leads the AOA’s support of Alabama’s workforce development infrastructure by promoting the use of credentials of value and connecting citizens to in-demand occupations.

Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members:

BASF Marks Two Major Milestones

By Made in Alabama

Photo Credit: BASF/Made in Alabama

BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) representatives joined local and state officials last month to celebrate a pair of milestones for the company’s Huntsville facility — its 50th anniversary and the production of the 500 millionth catalyst at the site.

“Since the Huntsville site’s inception in 1973, we’ve continuously invested in innovative processes and equipment to help our customers reduce air pollution, and we’ve continuously invested in our most important asset — our people,” said Ray Weed, Huntsville site director for BASF.

The milestones, he said, “represent more than just numbers, they symbolize the unwavering dedication and hard work of our teams through the years.”

Over the years BASF has expanded the Huntsville location, including a 2017 project, to become ECMS’s largest automotive catalyst site.

Today, more than 700 employees and contractors work at the site. In 2022, the site’s economic impact included an annual payroll of $73.6 million and $1.2 million in local and state taxes.

 “I’ve witnessed the transformative effects of companies like BASF on our local communities and the broader economy,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “BASF has not only contributed to the growth of Huntsville but has also been a driving force in Alabama’s economic development.”

Read Made in Alabama's Full Report



Heiche in Jasper undergoing $25 million expansion

By Daily Mountain Eagle

Right: Brian Randolph, Managing Director, and Andre Kairies, Director of Finance and Business Development. Photo Credit: Ed Howell, Daily Mountain Eagle

Heiche in Jasper is seeing its back wall come down as it plans to start a $25 million expansion project that is set to end by January, hopefully increasing employment there from 65 to 100.

The surface treatment facility at 4080 Whitehouse Road is a Tier 1 supplier for Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, as well as a Tier 2 supplier for multiple sub-suppliers. It processes different car parts as liftgates, shock towers, side sills, longitudinal members, etc. for Mercedes' electric flagship, the EQE and the EQS SUV.

When the local plant opened, Heiche became the fifth automotive supplier – and the first German company — to operate a manufacturing facility in Jasper, which was located within 250 miles of 11 different automotive assembly plants in the Southeast.

Heiche - also known as Heiche U.S. Surface Technologies (AL) LLC, a division of the German-based KAP Surface Technologies, offers degreasing and coating services for aluminum parts for the auto industry. It has two shifts, with plans to go to three shifts by 2027 - although the need might come by 2025.

Read Daily Mountain Eagle's Full Story

Airbus Celebrates Expansion in Progress

By Business Alabama

Photo Credit: Hal Yeager

The announcement came last year and the project won’t be done until 2025, but even the governor turned out yesterday to celebrate the expansion in progress at Airbus in Mobile.

Red, white and blue flares lit the afternoon sky behind the site of the 350,000-square-foot Final Assembly Line under construction at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley.

The new FAL will double the facility’s capacity to produce A320 family aircraft. And the company plans to add another 1,000 workers, bringing its employee count to 2,800, Gov. Kay Ivey noted.

“The relationship between Airbus and Alabama is a shining example of what can be accomplished when great organizations join hands,” Ivey said. “Airbus, a global leader in the aerospace industry, has placed its trust in Alabama … and folks, we are rising to the occasion.”

Read Business Alabama's Full Writeup

Congratulations to the Lucky Winner of German-Style Springerle Cookies from Leckere Kekse

Congratulations to Valeria Y for winning 2 BOXES of the German-style Springerle cookies from Leckere Kekse (value $110). ENJOY!

Springerle cookies have been baked in the southern region of Germany since the 1300’s. Their name means “little jumpers” because they rise or jump up in a heated oven creating their signature foot. Follow Leckere Kekse on Facebook page or/and Instagram.



Rolf's German Deli is Moving to Tuscaloosa

By Stephen Dethrage, Tuscaloosa Tread

Photo Credit: Stephen Dethrage, Tuscaloosa Thread

The taste of Germany will return to downtown Tuscaloosa's Temerson Square this fall as Rolf's Deli & Sausages prepares to permanently close in Northport and relocate south of the Black Warrior at the Edelweiss Germany bakery former location.

In an interview with the Thread, Rolf Meyer said he moved to Tuscaloosa to work at the Mercedes Benz U.S. International plant in 2013, and after his five-year visa for that purpose expired, he decided to pursue a lifelong dream of owning a deli.

It started in 2019, when Meyer bought and operated a popular food truck, and the next year he took a leap of faith to lease out and develop a brick-and-mortar deli off Highway 43 in Northport.

Read Tuscaloosa Thread's Full Story

AGP Welcomes New Members

Please help us welcome our new members:

CORPORATE - ASSOCIATE

Montgomery Whitewater

David Hepp

General Manager

The center has the world’s most advanced whitewater system designed by Germans. The whitewater activities including a 1,600-foot Olympic-standard competition channel and a 2,200-foot Creek channel for new and experienced paddlers. If you just want to relax on the water, join for flat water activities on the lower pond before they turn the channels on. The center also offer instructions to everything from the beginner kayak students to seasoned rescue professionals. On site you can enjoy the Eddy’s Restaurant and Bar. Check for upcoming festivals and concert series.

Learn more at: www.montgomerywhitewater.com

EDUCATIONAL - STUDENT

Samantha Arnold

University of North Alabama

As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the

AGP membership database.



Join AlabamaGermany Partnership (AGP)

AlabamaGermany Partnership (AGP) is an extremely active organization. Many of Alabama’s leading German and American companies are active participants in AGP. The organization facilitates:

• Networking Events
• Educational Outreach
• German Dinners
• Cultural Workshops
• Business Seminars
• Young Professionals Events
• Roundtables for German Company Leaders
• Study Trips to Germany

Join us today and be a part of our diverse group of industrial, corporate, cultural, educational, and governmental leaders. 

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